Treasure Maps to the Soul

TREASURE MAPS:
AN UNTANGLING RETREAT

Do you long for life to change but keep getting tangled up when you try?

Does what you want for your life seem impossible?

It sounds like you might have a Tangle…

Treasure Maps is a six-day retreat for untangling your Tangles and turning your life around – so that what was impossible becomes possible.

About the Course

In the Treasure Maps retreat you can expect to:

Feel a fresh sense of freedom and space even before the issue starts to change.

Experience your own strong calm center even in the midst of turmoil and confusion.

Let your unique strengths grow and flourish as you step away from patterns of self-blame.

Create relationships with the various parts in your Tangle so they can finally heal in the way they have been longing for.

Shift the level at which you have been holding your Tangle so that it doesn’t have to keep repeating… and something really new can happen.

At A Glance

Who

If you long for your own fuller life but your energy is bound up in fear, shame, confusion, self-criticism.

What

Barbara McGavin and Ann Weiser Cornell, the creators of Treasure Maps, teach and guide their transformational method in a life-changing 6-day retreat.

Where

Each Treasure Maps retreat is held at a retreat center a beautiful place in the world. See specific retreats for details below.

Why

You would love to live your bigger, freer, untangled life… finally!

We Know, We’ve Been There…

It all started in 1994 when we happened to be confronted with our own most challenging life issues (addiction to alcohol and suicidal depression) just as we were about to teach three workshops together. We were both professional Focusing teachers… but years of Focusing (as we knew it then) had not helped us with our toughest issues – which seemed impossible to shift.

Somehow the urgency of it and the combination of our unique strengths resulted in our developing a new form of Focusing that did work to bring change in those most challenging, tangled life issues.

We thought our new discoveries could be kept to ourselves until we got a lot more sure about them. But the questions that people asked us about their own problems and issues kept calling for answers out of our newest learnings. We found we had to share what we were discovering, raw as it was. People loved it, and wanted more.

Yes, our own life issues shifted. But we found there is so much more to life than just not being addicted or not being depressed! That’s why we began to talk about finding a treasure map — because we found that the very places where life feels most painful and hard are the maps to more ease, flow, and connection… to fresh new possibilities that just weren’t there before.

What We’ve Discovered is…

Inside a Tangle, no road leads to freedom. There are dead ends everywhere. Resolution is literally impossible at that level. Everything you try just keeps you even more stuck. But there is a way to shift outside of the Tangle so that new possibilities open up.

There is some kind of trauma underneath – Underlying any Tangle is a “stoppage” of life forward energy – in other words, a trauma. Transformation and resolution come when you can be present to the stopped energy (and the pain of it) without falling in. When you can do this, you begin to get back your own life direction and your own resources.

Exiled parts play key roles – The key player in the Tangle may be an exiled part of you that you can’t feel or hear. All the Focusing in the world doesn’t help until you invite the missing player. Having a “map” lets you know what missing part to invite… so your inner work is effective and brings real change.

You are not your Tangle – Inside a Tangle, it’s hard to access your full, aware, freely acting Self. But you are not your Tangle. You are a resourceful, resilient, flexible Self who can be in Presence with every aspect and part. Wouldn’t it be great to really experience that? You can!

This is What We Want for You

That in the places in your life where you feel most stuck and despairing, real hope dawns, because what was impossible becomes possible.

That repetitive painful patterns no longer repeat and instead begin to shift, because you can shift levels and be with your Tangle without being in it.

That you can move forward with your life with energy, curiosity, ease, and connection with others – in ways that felt out of the question before.

What You Can Expect From This Program

A living, flexible “map” of your tangled issue with the different parts separated out

A new way to understand your stuckness – not as something permanently wrong with you or your life, but as a “stoppage” of life energy that can resume and flow again

A powerful way to get underneath the repetitive patterns to what is really driving them… and give the stuck parts what they’ve always needed… at last

The Program

Treasure Maps is a six-day retreat led by both Ann Weiser Cornell and Barbara McGavin. We offer it a few times a year in beautiful places in the world. Our schedule includes times to rest, relax, regenerate, and play… and go deep.

The group gathers on the first night to connect with each other and share our hopes and intentions. Over the next five days, we go on a journey of inner exploration that begins with Getting to Know Your Tangle… and then one by one we show you the Four Powers and how to apply each one to your own Tangle.

We teach through stories from our own lives and demonstrations, and we give you specific paired exercises that you do with each other… and then come back to the group with your sharing and questions.

The spirit of the retreat is respect and safety for every part of yourself. Expect to feel deeply understood and accepted… even for those parts of yourself that you don’t accept (yet).

At the end of the week

You have learned to use four “Powers” which are a kind of road map to transformational change

You can identify three types of Parts in your Tangle, each with its own feelings, and what each needs in order to heal and change

You have learned about the four Territories of Action Blocks, Addictions, Depression/Despair, and Unfulfilled Desire… and how they show up in your own personal Tangles

You have support and help to go forward with the process beyond the week, through partnerships and your own Focusing

What Else? You’ll Also Receive:

A beautifully designed Workbook to follow through the week that gives you the details and specific language of every exercise

A leaflet that tells you where you are in the process at each step of the retreat

63 pages of Workshop Handouts that go into detail about the process and the theory behind it… available before the retreat so you can read in advance if you want to

This Program May Be For You If…

You have a deep commitment to your own transformation and growth, and a determination to find something that brings real change

You are not a beginner to Focusing – you have at least two Levels of training with practice in Focusing partnership

You have a longing to experience your life in a new way, free of what has been holding you back

What Now?

Explore our upcoming retreats below or…are you still deciding whether this program is right for you? We welcome you to schedule a chat with Ann to set up a conversation by phone or Skype.

Did you know that we also offer Advanced Treasure Maps retreats?

We offer retreats a couple times a year that start where our “regular” Treasure Maps retreats leave off.

Mark Your Calendar! Registration will be opening soon for the following retreats:

Later in 2019:

September 19-25; Stoneville, North Carolina, USA; Regular Retreat

What People Are Saying

F.C.S.

"What's different about Focusing? I found, and still find, something new and curious every time I venture into the Focusing space. That surprises me and I love it. After Treasure Maps, I know there's something undeniably important about Focusing that I must and deeply want to pursue. I now have a connection to the wider community of Focusers, including some I hope I can continue the journey with."

Stéphanie RS

"All my life, I've suffered from low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, and impostor syndrome. Focusing already helped me tremendously, but I still felt stuck. I love the Treasure Maps framework of Untangling a Tangle. For a long time, I felt like I bumped into the same invisible wall, without the ability to really see it. Now, I feel changed. It's subtle, but I definitely made a step forward. After Treasure Maps, I feel more compassion toward myself, more patience, more ability to hold it all. And I have a clear process/map to keep working on my Tangle."

Georgia Simone

"I came to Treasure Maps hoping to untangle a life-long, debilitating self-doubt and fear of public speaking. No one (as in not one single person) has been able to support me in overcoming the intense nervous energy I sometimes experience when speaking in public or sharing in groups. This left me feeling confused and like there was something wrong with me. Treasure Maps handed me the keys to not only begin to untangle this nervous knot but also to gain great insight into what has prevented me from fulfilling my potential. After Treasure Maps, I feel different in ways that are difficult to articulate - as if the very foundation that has been holding this whole tangle together has been weakened beyond repair. I've spoken twice in public since the retreat and both times felt so different. There was some nervous energy, but unlike other times, it did not take over. I was able to stay in presence without being consumed by it, and I was able to speak from my heart authentically and powerfully. This is huge! Furthermore, I simply feel more confident - in a natural and quiet kind of way, like I don't need to prove or defend myself. I feel more myself. And it feels good. Really good."

Marie Sherry McDonald

"For me, Treasure Maps is a spiritual adventure. When I cultivate unconditional presence for all that arises in me, I feel peaceful and I can be myself. As a result, I have better relationships, feel longer periods of calm, and appreciate most of my life experiences."

Terri Thayer Micene

"My life has changed since Treasure Maps. I no longer spend several hours a day playing games on my phone. What was once an irresistible siren call was shut off just like a water tap. My eating habits (my main tangle) are no longer a problem. My stomach is behaving as it should and I don’t fight off cravings or the desire to eat foods that don’t agree with me. Eating has become an easeful process for me, for the first time in my life."

S.S.

"I came to Treasure Maps with an intention to find a method to help me be with difficult feelings in intimate relationships, and as a tool to facilitate deeper connections for my patients. Other methods I'd tried before left me feeling like I needed to be fixed or changed, but Focusing wasn't like that. Instead of "managing" myself, I developed an appreciation of my experiences that allowed acceptance and compassion. As a result, my relationships (with myself and others) feel more connected, loving and warm. I knew this course was making a difference when I noticed that I felt more settled when difficult feelings came. I began to "be with" them and give them space instead of resisting the experiences that activated them. It made all the difference. Now, I have a more solid sense of trust in myself (and others). I know I will move forward, confident that I can and will take good care of myself (and others) as a result."

Lynette T.

"Treasure Maps offers a comprehensive process that enables one to really do deeper work in a continuous way so you don't lose the thread of the issues you're working through. You really have the space to get to the heart of all that's needed to make lasting change. After the retreat, I feel freer to just be me and go with my own flow. I don't feel the same pressure to be something I'm not or to perform to the standards of others. What really matters now is that I feel satisfied and fulfilled by my actions. I keep learning and growing, experiencing life in whatever way feels right for me at the time."

Jennifer Edwards

"Treasure Maps was absolutely amazing in content, the way it was organized, the experiential work we did. Even down to the way the course was delivered. It's clear that Ann and Barbara have developed this work over many years and are teaching from their personal experience. Halfway through the retreat, I was confident that whatever happens in my life from now on, I have a way of being with that in a compassionate, nonjudgmental way. My inner world feels more friendly now. I have more "space" inside - more peace. I discovered I really can be the environment for change. It's like being given a priceless gift. I am so grateful to Ann and Barbara for their work."

Sylvie M.

"Before Treasure Maps, I was often merged with parts of me and there was a feeling of being blocked...always at the same place. During the workshop, I started to notice a lot of what I was experiencing in my body and was shown a bigger picture of the situation. I found I could understand more deeply, without judging. I learned a lot about my issues. I'm now more able to welcome my inner critics. And sometimes it's like there's silence inside. I feel like I'm better able to show up to the process of Focusing, especially as a companion."

Bie D.

"Before Treasure Maps, I was always trying to understand and change my relationship with the world in order to find a better place for me "out there." Now, I often spend more time with myself. It's easier to be alone. I'm more in the here and now, so I enjoy life more."

John Juskiewicz

"I'm a long time Focuser and I found that Treasure Maps provided a whole array of new tools that greatly deepened my Focusing ability. I can now more effectively work with stubborn issues that were difficult to work with in the past. My only regret is that I hadn't taken Treasure Maps much sooner."

Wendy P, Philadelphia PA

"The week with Ann and Barbara learning the Untangling process of Focusing was truly a magical, life-transformative experience. Both of these wise women are truly pioneers on the frontier of human evolution. They have mapped out the journey of our inner world enabling one to truly find healing and peace as well as a new vitality and purpose for living. I'm deeply grateful to Ann and Barbara for articulating this process based on Eugene Gendlin's philosophical model of being and am so glad I went. If you are thinking of participating in a Treasure Maps Retreat, I highly recommend that you don't put it off any longer. Your body and soul will thank you!"

We meet as a group for three hours each morning and three hours each afternoon. Paired practice is included in those three hours. In the evenings, participants are free to take quiet time or join others for shared activities like singing, dancing, storytelling, improv games. The days normally run from 9am – 6pm, beginning with breakfast. Dinner is at 6:30pm.

Although more is better, at a minimum you need to be able to be a Focusing partner, able to direct your own Focusing process and accompany someone else. We have found that people need at least two Levels of Focusing training (or the equivalent) to feel sufficiently relaxed and confident with Focusing so that they can concentrate on the subtleties of the Treasure Maps work.

Most retreats meet the qualifications for 35 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. PCE#62524

Eligibility for CE units requires 100% live attendance. If you miss any hours of instruction, you are ineligible for CE units.

There is a $25 administrative fee for CE units. Course completion certificates are awarded at the end of the course upon completion of all requirements and the course evaluation. (If you don’t want CE units but would like a completion certificate, the $25 fee does still apply.)

After 20+ years of teaching our method only in the 6-day retreat form, we wanted to get it out to even more people, so we created the Untangling online seminar. The online seminar with its 10 hours of instruction is much less than we can offer in the 6-day retreat. That’s why we call it “An Introduction to Treasure Maps.” It can get you started but it doesn’t include everything that is possible in the retreat… both in terms of curriculum and also in terms of the power of immersing oneself in the process in a supportive community.

Our recommendation: Take the 6-day retreat if possible. If not, the Untangling course can give you a lot.

More Projects

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Your Path to Lasting Change

Certification as an Inner Relationship Focusing Professional

OUR MISSION, OUR VISION

We believe that every person deserves greater self-acceptance, better emotional balance, and more satisfying relationships.

Learning Focusing can vastly improve your life. In fact, we think that if everyone were to learn this simple skill, the world would be a calmer, clearer, better place!

To this end, we strive to make learning Focusing possible for people all over the world, in any economic situation.

LEARN MORE

DISABILITY ACCESS

We welcome persons with disabilities who need accommodations in order to take our trainings to contact us to discuss your specific needs.

We will make every effort to make it possible for you to participate fully.

DISCLAIMER

This site does not provide medical or any other health care or fitness advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The site and its services are for informational purposes only and are not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment.

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All individuals, regardless of race, color, age, nationality, gender identity (including transgender and non-binary status), religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or status as a parent will be treated with respect and dignity by Focusing Resources.